Valve rocker arm mounting



SeP- 6, 1966 R. L. NANcE 3,270,727

VALVE ROCKER ARM MOUNTING Filed Nov. 29, 1965 I N VENTOR.

United States Patent O 3,270,727 VALVE ROCKER ARM MOUNTING Robert L.Nance, Oak Park, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit,Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 29, 1965, Ser. No. 510,22810 Claims. (Cl. 123-90) This invention relates to mounting of rockerarms of the type used for operatin'g poppet valves and the like ininternal combustion engines and particularly to such a mounting whichcomprises relatively inexpensively manufactured components of simpleconstruction and arranged to be easily assembled into an internalcombustion engine to form a simple and effective rocker arm supportarrangement.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improvedrocker arm support arrangement of simple construction which is capableof utilizing components adapted for relatively inexpensive manufacture.Such components include a plurality of rocker arm supports each having apair of integral and oppositely extending arms on which a pair of rockerarms are pivotally supportable and designed so as to be adapted formanufacture by sintered iron fabrication. With this process, the needfor machining of bearing sur'faces may be avoided. Also, simple formedmetal rocker arms may be used. These may be retained in place on thearms of the support members by resilient fingers of a sheet metalretainer means which extends between two or more of the support membersto orient them on the cylinder head.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected forpurposes of illustration, having reference'to the drawing, wherein:

FIGURE l is a fragmentary cross-se-ctional view of an internalcombustion engine having a rocker arm support arrangement according tothe invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view taken generally along the planeindicated by the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side view partially in section taken generally along theplane indicated by the line 3-3 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a pictorial view showing the rocker arm and its support andFIGURE 5 is a pictorial view showing the retainer means used inconjunction with the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, numeral generally indicates an internalcombustion engine having a bank of cylinders 12 'closed at the upper endthereof by a cylinder head 14. The cylinder head carries a plurality ofvalves 16 which control the flow of fluids through passages 18connecting with the various cylinders of the bank 12. It is commonpractice for the valves 16 to include an inlet and an outlet valve foreach cylinder and the arrangement shown in the drawing is particularlyintended for engines of this type although it is not necessarily limitedthereto.

In the disclosed embodiment, the cylinder head carries a plurality ofT-shaped support members 20 spaced longitudinally along the cylinderhead with one of the support members being associated with the valvegear of each cylinder in the cylinder bank. Support members 20 areparticularly adapted to be formed by means of sintered iron fabricationand comprise Vertical leg portions 22 of generally rectangular crosssection and each having a pair of arms 24 extending oppositely from theupper end thereof. The arms are formed with arcuate bearing portions 26extending along their lower sides while the upper sides are relieved asat 28. Extending vertically through leg portions 22 are openings 30through which securing means, such as bolts 32, may eXtend to retain thesupport members in place on the cylinder head.

Patented Sept. 6, 1966 ice A pair of left and right hand rocker arms 34,36 is received on the arms 24 of each support member for rocking motionthereon in individually defined planes. The rocker arms are each formedfrom a single sheet of metal and comprise parallel inner and outer sides38 and 40, respectively, connected by a bottom wall portion 42. Openings44 are provided intermediate the ends of inner Wall portions 38 throughwhich arms 24 are received into the interior of the rocker armsextending into engagement with the outer side walls 40.

Adjacent `openings 44, bearing surfaces 46 are provided on upwardlyarcuately formed portions intermediate the ends of lower walls 42. Thesebearing surfaces are received on bearing portions 26 of arms 24 andprovide for 'rocking motion of the rocker arms on the supports. Lowerwalls 42 include at 'one end thereof actuating portions 48 which contactthe ends of valves 16 for actuating the valves in their openingdirections. Coil Springs 50 bias the valves in their closing directionsand tend to rotate rocker arms 36 in a counterclockwise direction, asshown in FIGURE l.

At their ends opposite from the actuating portions, the rocker armsinclude downwardly facing spherical push rod receiving portions 52having a lubricating opening 54 therethrough. A hollow push rod 56actuated by cam shaft means (not shown) engages the receiving portion 52of each rocker arm 'and includes a lubricating passage 58 .in the endthereof which is in continuous communication with opening 54 in therocker arm. By this means, lubricant may be fed through the hollow pushrod and openings 58 and 54 to lubricate the bearing surfaces 46 and 26of the rocker arms and support arms, respectively.

Unique retainer means 60, preferably formed from a single piece of sheetmetal, are associated with the rocker arms and support members and servethe dual purposes of properly aligning the support members on thecylinder head of each bank and retaining the rocker arms in position onthe arms of each support member. Retainer means 60 include a main body61 which is secured between the support members 20 and cylinder head 14and extends between at least two adjacent support members. Spacedparallel side portions 62 extend upwardly from the main body 61 andengage opposite faces of the support rectangular leg portions so as toalign the support members with their arms extending longitudinally ofthe cylinder head. Such an aligning arrangement permits the use ofsingle bolt means for securi-ng each support member to the cylinderhead, thereby simplifying the valve gear const-ruction. The retainermeans also includes a plurality of resilient fingers 64 which extendupwardly from the ends and intermediate portions of the main body 61 andinclude projections 66 which engage the outer sides of rocker arms 34,36, holding the rocker arms in their proper positions on the arms ofsupport members 20.

It is to be understood that the foregoing disclosure relates to only apreferred embodiment of the invention and that it is intended to coverall changes and modifications which do not constitute departures fromthe spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. Valve gear for an internal combustion engine and comprising aplurality of T-shaped supports secured to said engine in linearly spacedrelation, each said support including a leg portion and a pair ofoppositely extending arms,

a pair of rocker arms retained on the eXtending arms of each support forrocking motion in separate planes and a unitary retainer means extendingbetween and engaging at least two of said supports to at least partiallyposition them, said retainer means including a plurality of resilientfingers engagng said rocker arms at their outer ends to retain saidrocker arms in position on said supports.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein each of said rocker arms includesspaced sides connected by a formed bottom having an upwardly facingarcuate bearing surface intermediate the ends thereof, one of said sideshaving an opening adjacent said bearing portion,

said support arms extending through said rocker arm side openings andcontacting the other sides to locate said rocker arms axially of saidsupport arms and said support arms including bearing receiving surfacesin contact With said rocker arm bearing portions, said resilient fingerscontacting said rocker arms other sides op-posite the outer ends of saidsupport arms.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said supports are secured to saidengine by single securing means and said retainer means comprise aformed sheet metal body secured between said supports and said engineand including pairs of spaced side portions extending perpendicular tothe main portion of said body and engaging the leg portions of saidsupports to prevent their rotating around said single securing means.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein said supports are secured to saidengine by single securing means and said retainer means comprise aformed sheet metal body secured between said supports and said engineand including pairs of spaced side portions extending perpendicular tothe main portion of said body and engaging the leg portions of saidsupports to prevent their rotating around said single securing means.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said supports each include singleopening means extendng linearly through said leg portions and saidsecuring means comprise single bolt means extending through said openingmeans.

6. The combination of claim 2 and further including spring meansassociated with each of said rocker arms and resiliently biasing one endthereof against rocking motion in one direction, said rocker arm otherend including a lubricating opening connectable with a source oflubricant supply to transmit lubricant to said formed bottom forlubricating said arcuate bearing surface.

7. Rocker arm support arrangement for an internal combustion enginehaving at least four passage controlling valves,

a plurality of rocker arms associated one with each of said valves andmounted for rocking movement in individual planes to control the openingand closing of said valves, said rocker arms being arranged in pairs,

a plurality of supports secured to said engine, one carrying each saidpair of rocker arms and fixing the planes of said rocking motion withrespect to said engine, and

a unitary retainer extending between at least two of said supports andengaging said supports so as to fix their angular orientation withrespect to said engine, said retainer including a plurality of extendingfingers engaging said rocker arms to retain them in place on saidsupports.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said supports include a centralleg portion integral with a pair of oppositely extending arms, saidrocker arms being carried on said support arms and having outer sidesengaged by said fingers, said central leg portions having singleopenings extendng therethrough, said supports being secured to saidengine by single securing means extending through said openings.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said central leg portions includeflat portions which are engaged by upstanding side portions of saidretainer to position said supports.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein said supports are formed ofsintered iron.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,332,446 3/1920Newton 123-90 1,477,269 12/1923 Kytlica. 2,298,981 10/1942 Smith 123-902,902,0l4 9/1959 Leach 123-90 2,982,273 5/1961 Bergmann 123 90 3,150,6489/1964 Gropp 123-90 3,198,183 8/1965 Ball 123-90 FOREIGN PATENTS 866,8725/1961 Great Britain.

MARK NEWMAN, Primary Examner. A. L. SMITH, Assistant Examiner.

1. VALVE GEAR FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE AND COMPRISING APLURALITY OF T-SHAPED SUPPORTS SECURED TO SAID ENGINE IN LINEARLY SPACEDRELATION, EACH SAID SUPPORT INCLUDING A LEG PORTION AND A PAIR OFOPPOSITELY EXTENDING ARMS, A PAIR OF ROCKER ARMS RETAINED ON THEEXTENDING ARMS OF EACH SUPPORT FOR ROCKING MOTION IN SEPARATE PLANES ANDA UNITARY RETAINER MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN AND ENGAGING AT LEAST TWO OFSAID SUPPORTS TO AT LEAST PARTIALLY POSITION THEM, SAID RETAINER MEANSINCLUDING A PLURALITY OF RESILIENT FINGERS ENGAGING SAID ROCKER